New Earth Kind Roses

Guest Author - Charity Armstrong

Last year I wrote an article discussing Earth Kind Roses. Previously there were only eleven roses on the Earth Kind list, since then four new ones have been added. Earth Kind is a designation given to roses that pass rigorous testing for hardiness, disease resistance and ease of care by Texas A&M University.

If you choose to grow Earth Kind Roses Iíve included a link below to help you find mail order nurseries which carry these roses. Iíve also included a link to report your rose growing results. If you choose to grow your roses without chemicals considered non-organic you can report your results to Texas A&M University. They want to know how Earth Kind Roses grown without fungicides and pesticides are doing in your area of the United States.

One of the newly designated Earth Kind Roses is Georgetown Tea. This fragrant rose will bloom all season with double salmon pink flowers which turn a lilac pink as they fade. Georgetown Tea has pointed petals making the flowers appear star like. This is an upright bush style rose that will grow 3-5 feet high and 3-4 feet wide. Georgetown Tea can either be placed as a specimen plant or also looks lovely in a group.

Duchesse de Brabant is another newly labeled Earth Kind Rose. Duchesse de Brabant was developed in 1857 and is named after The Belgian Duke of Brabant. According to the Earth Kind website Teddy Roosevelt frequently wore a Duchesse de Brabant flower as a boutonniere since this rose was one of his personal favorites. Duchesse de Brabant is a fragrant pink rose with an old fashioned tissue papered appearance. It will bloom all season as well and grow 4-6 feet high and 4 feet wide.

Spice is another recently designated Earth Kind Rose. This season long bloomer makes an excellent hedge due to its think shrub shape. The beautiful pink double flowers are highly fragrant and work wonderfully for cutting and arranging indoors. Spice will reach about 5 feet high and grow to around 4 feet wide. No one knows when Spice was developed but some believe itís one of the original roses from China that was used to develop the Hybrid Teas of today. Be sure to check the hardiness zone for your area since Spice has less cold tolerance than some of the other Earth Kind Roses.

The final new listing with Earth Kind Roses is Ducher; a creamy white Chinese rose from 1869. This repeat flowering rose is very fragrant and also a smaller size for those looking for a rose to use in a large container. Ducher is also an excellent choice if you need to fill a smaller spot in the garden. This Earth Kind Rose will grow 3-5 feet tall and 2-5 feet wide, it makes a striking shrub with its beautiful white blooms.

Be sure to check out the full list of all fifteen Earth Kind Roses on-line. The roses listed encompass everything from climbers to smaller to size plants. All Earth Kind Roses are extremely disease resistant and will bloom from spring to fall provided theyíre planted in full sun.

You can even do your own experiment and keep track of your Earth Kind Rose growing results for Texas A&Mís Earth Kind program. Finally a reason to avoid spraying your roses that doesnít involve a minor feeling of guilt! Now that the cooler fall weather is here be sure to add Earth Kind Roses to your list of plants to consider for next spring.